Budget operator Xercise4Less has appointed a chief technology officer to lead the company through a 'digital transformation' ahead of a rapid expansion programme.

Renier Pretorius – who joins the company from retailer WHSmith – has been tasked with structuring Xercise4Less' IT organisation and leading a digital revolution which will include the development of an entirely new systems architecture for the firm.

Pretorius, who has spent the past 15 years working in creating tech systems, will be responsible for creating a system which will include a web-based 'front end', an operational data hub, CRM operations, an app and a data warehouse.

Xercise4Less, which currently operates 52 clubs nationwide, is set to double in size by 2021.

In 2018, the company secured growth investment worth £42m from Swedish credit provider Proventus Capital Partners.

Jon Wright, Founder of Xercise4Less, said: "As a business, the IT infrastructure is something we’ve wanted to look at for a while now.

Renier will be pivotal in implementing a fit for purpose architecture that improves the overall member experience.”